To sell your land, start with its location, the papers you have and a price you can explain. Then choose how to find a buyer and compare offers. You can use an agent, sell it yourself or ask a direct buyer for an offer. You don't need every answer before you start.
Tell us about your land. There’s no obligation to accept an offer.
Start with what you know. These steps will help you get ready and choose the way to sell that fits you.
Find your latest tax bill. Write down the district, map and parcel numbers, the acres and the nearest road. These record labels help identify the land. If you own several pieces, list each one so a buyer knows what is included.
The West Virginia Property Assessment portal has Property Search and Property Viewer links. In Property Search, choose 27-McDowell from the county list. The basic form has owner-name, street-name and full parcel-ID fields. That gives you options when empty land has no street address.
Copy the numbers from your tax bill and compare the record with your deed. Keep the land description from the deed with your notes rather than relying on an old family nickname for the property.
If you need help, the county’s current directory lists the Assessor’s Office at 304-436-8564. Ask, “I’m getting ready to sell this land. Can you help me find the right record and acres?”
If you want to sell only part of a larger tract, say that early. Ask what work would be needed before paying for a survey or promising a separate lot.
Put these items in one folder. Photos or scans can help in early talks.
If you can’t find the deed, ask the County Clerk’s Office how to get a copy. The McDowell County directory lists the clerk at 304-436-8517. Have the owner name, location and any deed book and page ready. Ask about copy options and cost before ordering.
Be sure you are looking at McDowell County in West Virginia. There is also a McDowell County in North Carolina, and its record sites often appear in searches.
The assessor helps with property assessment records. The county clerk is the starting point to ask about recorded deed copies. You don’t need every paper, a new survey or a building plan just to begin asking about a sale.
Look at the owners named on the deed. If you share the land, talk about what each person wants before you agree to a sale. Make sure everyone means the same land and the same acres.
If you're handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one's estate, start with the deed and any estate papers you have. The person handling closing can help work out who needs to sign and what else may be needed. You don't have to sort everything out alone.
Share what you know about loans, unpaid taxes and agreements for someone else to use the land. These details can affect the next step or the money you keep.
A wooded hillside and a small lot in town can raise different buyer questions. Give a clear picture of what you have.
Take photos from safe places where you have permission to go. Show the entrance and the ground, not just the view across the valley. If an old track crosses someone else’s land, share the papers you have rather than promising a right to use it.
If your papers mention mineral rights, keep them with the deed. These concern resources below the ground. Ask the person helping with closing to check what rights are included. Owning the land does not by itself answer every question about those rights.
If you know of past work on the land, flooding, damage or a boundary concern, share it early. If a buyer wants to build, share existing approvals and say what you don’t know. Nearby houses or a power line do not prove a new home or connection is ready.
Start with completed sales of land that fits your size, location, access and use. Ask an agent who handles land which sales they would use and why.
A level town lot can be a poor match for a steep wooded tract. A property with easy road access may be a poor match for one reached through a shared track. A home sale includes the home; it is not a bare-land price.
The state property portal is a starting point for locating assessment records. Its search also offers an Appraisal/Sales option. Check the date, land and what a record covers before using any price. A record alone does not tell you everything about a deal.
Keep the parcel number and deed reference beside each comparison. Check whether the price includes buildings, several lots or other rights. Two records may describe the same deal; count that sale once.
Asking prices show what sellers hope to get, not what buyers paid. A tax value is also not a promise of today’s selling price. If clear matches are hard to find, keep that uncertainty in your price discussion.
Use our land value guide to make a short comparison sheet. You don’t need to buy a new survey or clear the trees before you can ask an agent about a price.
You can explore more than one way before deciding. If you'd like a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You decide whether it fits your needs.
Ask for the price, costs you pay and target closing date in writing. Find out what the buyer plans to check, when they can end the deal and what happens to the deposit. Ask for any unclear term to be explained.
Compare the money you'll keep after fees, loan payoff and unpaid taxes. A higher offer can leave less if you pay more costs. Ask the person handling closing for a written estimate.
Check that the contract names the right land and owners. Agree on any items to remove and any use of the land that will continue after the sale.
Closing is the final step: the agreed papers are signed, payment is handled and ownership changes. Keep your signed papers and final cost statement.
For a useful start today, find your tax bill, write down the land and acres, and list your biggest question. Bring that short list to your first conversation.
Ask the County Clerk’s Office how to get a copy. Have the owner name, land location and any deed book and page ready. Confirm you are using the West Virginia county, and ask about copy options and cost.
Start with the district, map and parcel numbers from your tax bill. The state Property Search has parcel-ID and owner-name fields and a 27-McDowell county choice. Ask the assessor for help if you cannot locate the right record.
You can begin by describing it as it is and sharing useful photos. Ask what work would help with the sale before spending money on clearing, a survey or building plans.
Start with the deed and estate papers you already have. The person handling closing can help work out who needs to sign and what else may be needed. You do not have to sort every question out alone.
They can be a separate part of the land papers. Keep related deeds or agreements in your folder and ask for help checking what rights are included. Do not assume the answer from the land location alone.
Local source links reviewed October 4, 2026.